Wobble or swash plate engine



Dec. 5, 1939. L c, REDRUP 2,182,213-

WQBBLE OR'SWASH PLATE ENGINE Filed Aug. 31, 1938 s SheetLs-Sheet 1 In vemorx i MM-QW Dec. 5, 1939. c. B. REDRUP WOBBLE 6R SWASH PLATE ENGINE Filed Aug. 51, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Dec. 5, 1939. c. B. REDRUP WOBBLE 0R SWASH PLATE ENGINE s Sheets-Sheet s 17706 ml-orx WMVW/ W Patented Dec. 5, 1939 UNITED STATES WOBBLE R SWASH PLATE ENGINE Charles Benjamin Redrup, Bristol, England, as-

signor to The Bristol Tramways & Carriage Company Limited, Bristol, England, a British company Application August 31,

1938, Serial No. 227,834

In Great Britain September 2, 1937 4 Claims.

Y This invention is for improvements in or relating to a wobbleor swash-plate engine of the kind comprising a number of engine cylinders spaced apart around and extending along a cen- 5 trally-disposedengine-shaft, a wobbleor swashmember mounted on said engine-shaft and articular connections between said member and the engine pistons. An object of the invention is to provide a rigid and comparatively light structure.

According to this invention, a wobbleor swashplate engine of the kind referred to above is characterised in that the cylinders are formed separately from one another and are secured together by a platewhich carries a bearing for said engine-shaft. Preferably, the said cylinders are connected together at each end by a plate.

The bearings for the engine-shaft may be arranged in a tubular member secured to and extending between the two plates.

The abovearrangement is particularly applicable to an opposed piston wobbleor swashplate engine comprising two mounting-plates spaced apart in face-to-face relationship, a onepart tubular member fixed to and extending between said plates, bearings in said tubular member, an engine shaft carried by said bearings, a plurality of separately formed cylinders also fixed to and extending between said plates, a pair of opposed pistons in each cylinder, a swash-member on each end of said engine shaft, articular connections between the swash-members and their respective pistons, a housing secured to each plate and adapted to enclose the swash-members and their articular connections and an additional member in the housing for supporting the engine shaft.

In any of the arrangements referred to above the engine cylinders may be provided near the ends thereof with flanges and the aforesaid plates 40 may be formed with apertures through which the ends of the cylinders extend so that the flanges abut the plates and are secured thereto by clamping bolts.

A housing may be arranged to enclose each wobbleor swash-member and is secured to the plate which connects said cylinders together. Each housing may be provided with an additional bearing for the extreme end of the engine-shaft.

In applying the invention to a wobble-plate engine, the wobble-member is mounted on an inclined crank-pin and comprises a hollow member having an arm for articular connection to each piston, which star-member is formed in a number of parts having segmental sleeve portions which encircle the inclined crank-pin and are clamped together by an encircling ring. Preferably, the wobble-member is formed in as many parts as there are engine cylinders.

In one constructional form of the invention, the inclined crank-pin is provided at its centre with an inclined journal, the angled inclination of which is half that of the crank-pin, which crank-pin and journal are encircled by a hubmember and which journal is encircled by a cage within the hub-member and having-a number of radial arms which extend through straight slots in said casing and engage straight guideways in the engine-casing, which slots are parallel with the crank-pin and which guideways are parallel with the engine-shaft and which parts of the star-member are arranged to encircle said hub. For this purpose, the hub may be provided with cylindrical end portions which are encircled by the segmental sleeve parts of the star-member, which cylindrical portions are screw-threaded for engagement by nuts which clamp the encircling ring into position-on the segmental sleeves. Preferably, the guideways for the radial arms are formed on said housing.

The following is a description of the invention as applied to an opposed-piston two-stroke wobble-plate engine, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a section through the engine along the engine-shaft, and for the purpose of sim- 30 plicity the two halves of the engine on either side of the line XX are shown relatively rotated about the engine axis so as to bring the two parts of each cylinder into line and so'that both crankpins lie in the same plane, and. 35

Figure 2 is a section on the line 22 of Figure 1 looking in the direction of the arrows, but showing the correct relative position of the two parts of each cylinder and the correct relative positions of the two star-members, one star-member 40 and one end of each cylinder being shown in chain line.

Figure 3 is a section through one of the engine cylinders in a plane containing the axes of the two parts ofthe cylnders, and

Figure 4 is a section on the line 44 of Figure 3.

As will be seen from Figure 3, each of the cylinders I0 is formed separately and is provided along the centre portion with radiating fins l I which are flanked on either side by a ring of inlet 'ports l2 and a ring of exhaust ports l3. The ends of the cylinders are smooth and are provided with encircling flanges l4 disposed away from the extremities of the cylinders. The ends of the cylinders are arranged to extend through clamping bolts (not shown). number of cylinders are arranged around the the flanges abut against the plate and are secured thereto by suitable clamping bolts (not shown). The plates |5 are provided with a central aperture in which are located ends of a bearing tube which is provided with flanges I! which bear against the inner sides of the plates. The bearing tube is formed in two parts 9 and 6 and provided at its ends with bushes I8 in which is mounted the engine-shaft I9. Each end of the engine-shaft is provided with an inclined crankpin 20 and each extreme end 2| of the engineshaft is mounted, in a bearing 22 carried by a casing 23 having a flange 24 which abuts against the aforesaid plate I5 and is secured thereto by engine-shaft and extend parallel thereto. -An inclined journal 25 is arranged at the centre of each inclined crank-pin and has an angle of inclination half that of the pin. The journal is encircled by a cage made up of three part-cylindrical sleeves 26 each provided with a radiallyextending arm 21. The parts of the cylindrical sleeves are held in position on the journal by two encircling rings 28 and 29. The journal and crank-pin are surrounded by a hub-member 30 which may be formed in two parts with their adjoining faces extending along. the crank-pin and slots 3| are formed in the hub-member through which the arms 21 extend. The slots are provided with straight side faces which extend parallel with the crank-pin and the arms are provided with flat-faced blocks 32 which engage the sides of the slots. Similarly, the ends of the arms are provided with straight-sided blocks 33 which are arranged to engage stright-sided guideways 34 formed on the casing 23. The sides of the guide-ways are arranged to extend parallel with the engine-shaft. The hub-member is provided on each side thereof with cylindrical portions 35 which are screw-threaded at their extremities. The wobble-member is made in the same number of parts as there are engine cylinders. Each part comprises a triangular structure 36 having a spherical knob 8 at its apex which is engaged by a universal joint 31 at the end of an engine connecting-rod 38. Each triangular structureis provided on each side thereof with a segmental sleeve 39 which bears against the cylindrical portion 35 of the hub-member and is, retained in position thereon by a ring 40. The ends of the hub-member are arranged to engage light alloy bushes 4| which encircle the crank-pin and are lined with antifriction metal. The cylidrical portions of the hub-member are provided with circumferential grooves 3| which are engaged by shoulders 42 formed on the triangular structure. The threaded extremities of the cylindrical portions of the hub-member are engaged by nuts 43 whereby the rings 40 are retained in position.

Each of the cylinders is open-ended and is provided with two pistons 44 and 45. The pistons 44 are arranged to control the inlet ports I2 and the other pistons 45 control the exhaust ports l3. It is necessary, therefore, that the pistons 45 shall uncover the ports |3 before the pistons 44 uncover the ports I2. Furthermore, the inlet ports |2 will require to remain open a predetermined time after the exhaust ports have been closed. This is effected by arranging the two parts of each cylinder in which the two pistons reciprocate to be displaced from one another in In this manner, a

a circumferential direction around the engineshaft by an angular displacement of about 15.

One end of each cylinder is arranged to extend through an annular inlet manifold 49 so that the inlet ports of the cylinders are disposed within said manifold and the other end of each cylinder is arranged to extend through an annular exhaust manifold 50 so that the exhaust ports are arranged within said manifold. Communicating with the inlet manifold are three inlet pipes 5| which extend through apertures 41 in one of the steel plates I5 and along grooves 48 formed in the casing part 23. The inlet pipes communicate with outlets of a blower whichis arranged to deliver combustible mixture to said cylinders. The blower comprises an outer casing 52 which is secured to the casing part 23. An impeller 53 is rotatably mounted on the engineshaft 2| and is provided with a pinion 54 which is engaged by gearing 55.rotatably mounted in the casing 52 and is driven by a pinion 5B fixed to the engine-shaft.

The exhaust manifold 50 is also provided with three pipes 56 which are arranged to extend through apertures 41 in the steel plate l5 and communicate with an annular exhaust manifold 51. a

The engine may be secured to a suitable carrying frame by means of a mounting (not shown) comprising two rings which are attached respectively to the two casing'parts 23 at the ends of the engine.

The cylinders may either be air cooled or water cooled, in which latter case they may be arranged to extend through an annular water space.

I claim: I

1. A swash-plate engine comprising two mounting-plates spaced apart, face to face, a bearing attached to each said plate, an engine-shaft in said bearings, a plurality of separately formed cylinders fixed to and extending between said plates, two pistons in each cylinder, a swashmember arranged on each end of the engine-shaft, articular connections between said swash-members and said pistons, a housing secured to each plate and adapted to enclose each swash-member and its articular connections, and an additional bearing in each housing for supporting said engine-shaft.

2. An opposed-piston swash-plate engine comprising two mounting-plates spaced apart, faceto-face, a one-part tubular member fixed to and extending between said plates, bearings in said tubular member, an engine-shaft carried by said bearings, a plurality of separately-formed cylinders also fixed to and extending between said I plates, a pair of opposed pistons in each cylinder, a swash-member on each end of said engine-shaft, articular connections between the swash-members and their respective pistons, a housing secured to each plate and adapted to enclose said swash-member and its articular connections and an additional bearing in each housing for supporting said engine-shaft.

3. An opposed-piston swash-plate engine comprising two mounting-plates spaced apart, faceto-face, and one-part tubular member fi-xed to and extending'between said plates, hearings in said tubular members, an engine-shaft carried by said bearings and having at each end thereof an inclined crank-pin and a journal, a plurality of separately-formed cylinders also fixed to and extending between said plates, a pair of opposed pistons in each cylinder, a swash-member mounted on'each inclined crank-pin, articular connections between the swash-members and their respective pistons, a housing secured to each plate and adapted to enclose said swash-member and its articular connection and each having a hearing for carrying one of said journals, each of which Y swash-members is formed in a number of parts having segmental sleeve portions which encircle the inclined crank-pin, a hub-member which encircles the crank-pin and journal within the starmember and having a number of radial arms which extend through straight slots in said hubmember, arranged parallel with the crank-pin, which arms engage straight guideways in the engine-casing which extend parallel with the englue-shaft, which hub-member is provided with cylindrical end portions which are encircled by said segmental parts of the star-member, a clamping ring encircling said segmental parts, which cylindrical end portions are screw-threaded ior engagement by nuts which retain the clamping-rings in position.

4. An opposed piston swash-plate engine comprising two mounting-plates spaced apart, faceto-face, a one-part tubular member fixed to and extending between said plates, bearings in said tubular member, an engine-shaft carried by said bearings, a plurality oi separately-formed twopart cylinders also fixed to and extending between said plates, the two parts of each cylinder being axially displaced from one another in a circumterential direction around the engine shaft, a pair of opposed pistons in each cylinder, a swashmember on each end of said engine-shaft, articular connections between the swash-members and their respective pistons, a housing secured to each plate and adapted to enclose said swash-member and its articular connections and an additional bearing in each housing for-supporting said engine-shaft. 

